Sitting all alone on drift ice in the Arctic Ocean, this fellow looks all lost at sea.The images of the isolated polar bear were taken by Italian academic researcher Marco Gaiotto, 30, who was aboard a ship touring Svalbard Archipelago, Norway.'This polar bear was calm in its natural habitat, patrolling the ice in search for seals,' says Marco, of Genova, Italy.'They are not used to seeing humans, so their curiosity often over powers their suspicion and they may come incredibly close to you.'At this time of year, ice extension reaches its seasonal minimum and bears have to follow the ice edge north, as it melts if they want to keep hunting for seals.'Spending ten days observing the polar bears in Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, Marco spotted a number of polar bears stranded, waiting for the sea ice to return for the winter.'It remained around our ship for about one hour, and then it slowly walked away in the ice,' says Marco, who was only 20 metres away from the bear when he took the pictures.'People are usually surprised when they discover my work.'The Arctic is still quite a mysterious place for people, especially for those who are not used to seeing photographs from this wonderful environment.For Marco, his photos carry an important ecological message, too.'Of course, global warming is affecting the arctic at an incredibly fast rate. If you look at the ice maps it is just incredible how sea ice disappears year after year.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az